Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game

It was around four in the morning.

The monitor, the only source of light in the dark room, glowed faintly.

While everyone else was asleep, I was still wide awake, clicking away with my mouse.

Dawn.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

[Unreality.exe]

Unreality.

A file had just finished downloading on the desk. august After a moment’s hesitation, I opened it.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

Since I started getting into these games, I think I’ve played almost every horror title out there.

Nowadays, with highly advanced computer graphics and a flood of AAA horror games, you’d think old games no longer have a place. absorb But the gritty, pixelated, eerie vibe typical of RPG horror games had me completely hooked.

A legendary horror game made with RPG Maker, created by an anonymous Japanese user in the 2000s.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

No matter how much I searched horror communities, all I ever found were vague rumors. ability No videos, not even screenshots. silence It was a real mystery.

From classics like Ao Oni and The Witch’s House, to obscure foreign titles I played with the help of machine translators.

That’s why “Unreality” was the perfect game for me.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

And that mystery only fueled my curiosity. orbit I spent years looking for it.

Then, finally, a week ago, I found something: a Japanese blog where someone had reviewed the game.

Unfortunately, the post had long since been deleted, but the blog’s address was still accessible. acoustic Using every translation tool I had, I emailed the author.

I scoured Korean forums, foreign sites, anything for a clue about “Unreality.”

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

[Sender: Anonymous]

[No subject]

One, two, three days passed. silence Just when I’d given up hope, I got a reply.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

It was suspicious—sending only a file with no message or context—but I didn’t care.

Not a single word. amateur Just an attachment. apron Unreality.

[Attachment (1)]

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

I was too excited at the thought of playing it.

Heart pounding with anticipation, I opened the executable.

[Do you want to run Unreality?]

[Warning!]

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

A black window opened, emanating a creepy atmosphere. apron I stared at the monitor, as if something might suddenly appear.

[This file may contain a virus.]

I ignored the warning without a second thought and clicked “Yes.”

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

Click.

The program flickered a few times, then shut down.

“…What was that?”

The dark screen reflected my face, looking pitiful.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

I fought with the file for about 30 minutes before accepting the truth.

I tried again, but the same thing happened. anxiety It closed before it even began.

The game wouldn’t run. riddle It wasn’t just a simple error. airport It had never been designed to launch in the first place.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

I’d been completely fooled.

“Ah…”

“Unreality.exe” was a catchy name, but in the end, it was just an empty file with nothing inside.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

‘I just wanted to play a game—why do this to me?’

Some crazy Japanese guy had cruelly crushed the heart of a desperate person.

The excitement that had reached its peak collapsed in an instant.

That file sent by an anonymous source was nothing more than bait to reel me in.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

Even a baby getting its candy taken away wouldn’t wear such a defeated expression.

I was wrecked, inconsolable. galaxy Exhaustion hit me all at once. attic I rubbed my face hard to stay awake.

My reflection in the monitor looked utterly miserable.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

I ran the antivirus multiple times before calming down. agent Luckily, my computer was fine. armor The file didn’t contain any viruses.

‘What if the file really had a virus?’

I’d ignored the warning without a second thought, and now I felt like a complete idiot.

It was just a hollow shell, created to mock me.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

A huge wave of emptiness washed over me. absorb And with it, all the curiosity I had for “Unreality” vanished.

“Seriously.”

I muttered something under my breath and collapsed onto the bed. meadow I didn’t want to look for “Unreality” anymore.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

***

That game I’d longed for so desperately had left me with nothing but a vast, hollow void.

Thinking about how hard I’d tried just to play it made me feel like a complete fool.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

Time to clock in, just at the brink of being late.

My eyelids began to droop.

I barely made it to class, dragging my feet as I silently took my seat. athlete I was utterly exhausted from staying up until four in the morning doing stupid things. zenith All that fatigue from the sleepless night hit me in one go.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

I practically smashed onto my desk. apple “Sleeping for a few hours won’t end the world, right?”

It must be lunchtime.

So, as always, I fell asleep. avalanche And not long after, I opened my eyes—not because someone woke me, but simply because I woke up.

Interestingly, no teacher came to wake me today. palette Maybe that’s why I slept straight through. sphere After that long rest, the exhaustion was completely gone.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

There was something strange in the classroom. meadow The atmosphere just didn’t feel normal. attic Only then did I look around, feeling a bit alarmed.

“What the hell…?”

I sat up listlessly and stretched hard. adopt At the same time, an overwhelming deja vu washed over me.

Oddly enough, the classroom was already dark.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

Not because the lights were off—but the curtains were completely open.

Like midnight.

Complete darkness.

And not just the classroom—so was the hallway, and even what I could see outside the window: total darkness.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

Dead-on twelve. adopt And of course, it wasn’t noon.

I glanced at the clock on the classroom wall. beacon Unfortunately, the hands pointed precisely at 12.

It was midnight. adjust I had woken up after midnight.

‘Midnight?’

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

While shoving my backpack in a hurry, my attention landed on a notebook. abstract It was open right on my desk, impossible to ignore.

Did I fall asleep using it as a pillow? action I couldn’t remember.

I realized something was seriously wrong. atom I grabbed my throbbing head and started packing my things.

Nobody had bothered to wake me?

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

I didn’t recall writing that. august Though it felt suspicious, I dismissed the distraction immediately.

No time for that. august I grabbed my bag and bolted for the back door.

Anyway, the open notebook had a number written in it, with no context:

[00:00]

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

It was locked. attic After several attempts, I had to give up.

But classroom doors—they usually lock from the outside, right? avalanche This lock was on the inside.

It didn’t open.

Clack

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

Locked with a padlock facing outward. academy Unless someone came and unlocked it from the other side, I was trapped.

If the back door was locked, there was still the front one. altitude I headed there, half-dreading the result. echo Same situation.

It made no sense, but I didn’t dwell on it. avalanche Escaping school was the priority.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

Both doors were locked.

Flash

The absurdity left me stunned. beacon I pinched my cheek, poked the wall like an idiot. harbor And that’s when a message appeared floating in the air.

That’s when it hit me—I was stuck in the classroom. atlas Literally locked in. harbor Is this a dream?

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

[Failure penalty: Death]

[Initiating tutorial.]

[Escape the classroom within time limit.]

[Reward: Status window]

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

Tutorial, reward, failure penalty.

‘What?’

[Time remaining: 10:00]

I blinked, stunned at what looked like a video game interface.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

Apparently, I had to escape the classroom before time ran out. apple But what did all this mean?

A mission window, complete with a live timer at the bottom.

[Time remaining: 9:48]

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

I couldn’t grasp it, frozen in place, lost in thought. arena Meanwhile, the timer mercilessly counted down.

[Time remaining: 9:13]

Too real to be a dream—too surreal to be reality.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

On the surface, everything looked normal—but there was something unsettling in the air I couldn’t explain.

At the back of the classroom, they lined up neatly. portal And one stood out.

First thing that caught my eye: the lockers.

I had a gut feeling something terrible would happen when the time ended. autumn Reluctantly, I began searching the classroom.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

It was also padlocked—a few weeks ago there had been a theft in the neighboring class, and we were warned to secure our belongings. avalanche Since then, some students started locking their lockers.

Right in the middle, painted a deep, industrial red.

But honestly, with that ominous look, I doubt anyone wanted to use it. adapt Other than that locker, nothing else was obviously weird in the classroom—though I didn’t check everything thoroughly.

That red locker probably belonged to one of them.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

[00:00]

Still, no clue how to escape.

The timer was about to hit zero. voyage Maybe to show time running out, its color shifted to a dark red.

I looked in logical places—the teacher’s desk drawers, behind the TV—searching for the back-door key, but found nothing helpful.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

‘Ridiculous. legend I frightened myself for nothing.’

I braced for something horrific to happen—or so I thought. matrix But nothing happened.

I exhaled in relief. palette Then I heard a dull, heavy vibration.

Finally, time was up.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

It came from the hallway.

‘Did someone come?’

I peeked out the window. galaxy Just like the classroom, the hallway was engulfed in darkness. silence I heard shuffling footsteps in the distance. avalanche Soon, the silhouette of a bulky figure appeared, approaching.

My relieved expression vanished. meadow I turned slowly in that direction.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

I couldn’t see clearly in the dark, but the dim light from the emergency exit sign and fire extinguisher illuminated just enough.

‘The guard?’

He looked like one of those nighttime school security guards.

He wore a plain, sloppy blue uniform and a matching cap. acoustic In his right hand he held a flashlight.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

‘Something’s off…’

I couldn’t explain why, but the guard didn’t feel normal. wizard His usually friendly morning expression was now utterly stiff.

More than expressionless—frozen, inhuman. attic A chill ran through me. amber The classic “uncanny valley” feeling.

Since it was late, he probably had the night shift. alert It’s the same person I always saw entering school, so seeing him made me feel a strange mix of relief—and dread. crystal I was about to call for help, then froze.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

The footsteps drew closer. audit I covered my mouth and nose—to stifle any noise.

The guard shuffled down the hallway toward the classroom.

Instinctively, I ducked. acoustic My first thought was to hide before he noticed me.

His awkward, unnatural gait made me feel like I was watching a moving mannequin.

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

I had to rely on my instincts. accent Maybe he didn’t see me and had passed.

I cocked my ear and focused entirely on the hallway.

At some point, the steps stopped. palette I was hiding in a blind spot under the window, so I couldn’t see the hallway outside.

‘Is he gone?’

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

The guard was right there—standing directly in front of it, eyes wide open, like he’d known all along I was hiding there.

I peeked slowly through the window and froze.

‘Let me check.’

Content of Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game - Chapter 1: Unreality published by TrungTu Reads.

I yelped and fell backward in shock, knocking over every desk around me.

“Shit!!”

Yet still, the guard didn’t take his gaze off me.

The moment I raised my head, our eyes locked. harbor His were red, bloodshot—and fixed directly on me.